After cataract surgery

You may notice your vision is brighter and it may be clearer than it was before the operation. Some people notice vision improvement right away, for others it may take a few days. Within two to five days, your eye should be feeling normal, and the cloudiness caused by your cataract should be improved.

You may still need glasses, and your prescription may change while your eye is healing. You’ll be advised to wait until your eye is fully healed before getting new glasses. You can ask your optician about possible solutions to help you manage as your eye heals.

Most people recover quickly after cataract surgery, and many feel normal the day after surgery. Some people feel tired after surgery but are usually back to normal within a few days. Any side effects usually go away within a few days. Full eye recovery can take 4 to 6 weeks.

After surgery, you’ll be given a course of eye drops to control swelling and to help your eye to heal. It’s important to finish your eye drops and follow the instructions you’re given. This usually means using eye drops for a few weeks. Your clinical team will tell you about your specific course and dose.

It’s important to take care of your healing eye after surgery. Here are some of the things you can do to help your eye heal:

Do:

• Follow the instructions you’ve been given about taking your eye drops
• Follow the instructions about wearing your eye shield on your eye. You’ll normally be advised to wear this at night when sleeping.
• Take it easy and rest for a few days
• Wear your eye shield when you’re out to protect anything getting into the eye
• Wear sunglasses if you’re finding lights seem brighter than usual
• Take painkillers if you need them
• Shower and bathe as usual, but be careful not to get anything in your eye
• Wear your eye shield when you wash your hair

You can watch TV, read and use a computer as normal after cataract surgery.

Don’t:

• Do not drive until your your optician or clinical team says you’re OK to drive
• Do not rub your eyes
• Do not lift anything heavy, do strenuous exercise or play sports
• Do not wear eye makeup
• Do not get anything in your eye, like water or shampoo
• Do not go swimming until your eye is fully healed, even with goggles

Cataract surgery is the most common operation in the UK. It’s usually safe and successful. The chances of having a serious complication are very low. The risk of having complications that could affect your sight in the long term is even lower.

However, any type of surgery has risks. Your clinical team will explain these to you.

The most common complication is posterior capsule opacification (PCO). PCO is when your lens capsule, which holds your new lens in place, becomes cloudy.

PCO can happen weeks, months or years after surgery and can make vision cloudy again. If this happens, you will usually be offered a simple laser procedure to make your sight clear again. About 1 in 3 people will develop PCO within 5 years of their cataract surgery.

There are some very rare but serious complications that may occur which can put your vision at risk. The chance of this happening is approximately one in 1,000. These include:

• retinal detachment
• problems with the position of the lens implant
• a break in the lens capsule
• infection.

It’s normal to experience some redness, watering or grittiness of your eye after surgery. If you have any unexpected symptoms after your operation, contact your cataract clinic straight away. You will be given a number to contact if you have any concerns after your surgery.

Unexpected symptoms include:

• Your eye is very painful
• Your vision is blurry or distorted
• You notice flashes of light in your vision
• You notice floaters (dots and lines) in your vision
• You notice redness or pain in your eye that doesn’t go away
• It hurts or is very uncomfortable to look at bright light

If you have any of these symptoms, get medical help right away. The sooner that treatment is given, the better the outcome for your sight. If you're in doubt about whether your symptoms are routine or not, it’s always best to contact your cataract clinic or optician for medical advice.